Political Theory and the Displacement of Politics (Contestations)

Political Theory and the Displacement of Politics , originally published in 1993, has been called a founding text of agonism, which treats political contestation not as a regrettably necessary way to correct political imperfections but as a necessary, sometimes joyful feature of democratic life. As Bonnie Honig writes in the preface to this thirtieth anniversary edition, "the agonism that informs this book is democratic: it is committed to shared spaces and relational practices in which diverse groups and individuals set and reset the terms of living together as equals." By rethinking the established relation between politics and political theory, Honig argues that political theorists of opposing positions often treat political theory less as an exploration of politics than as a series of devices for its displacement. She characterizes Kant, Rawls, and Sandel as virtue theorists of politics, arguing that they rely on principles of right, rationality, community, and law to protect their political theories from the conflict and uncertainty of political reality. Drawing on Nietzsche and Arendt as well as Machiavelli and Derrida, Honig instead explores an alternative politics of virtú , which treats the disruptions of political order as valued sites of democratic freedom and individuality. Political Theory and the Displacement of Politics, originally published in 1993, has been called a founding text of agonism, which treats political contestation not as a regrettably necessary way to correct political imperfections but as a necessary, sometimes joyful feature of democratic life. As Bonnie Honig writes in the preface to this thirtieth anniversary edition, "the agonism that informs this book is democratic: it is committed to shared spaces and relational practices that allow diverse groups to set and re-set the terms of living together as equals."By rethinking the established relation between politics and political theory, Honig argues that political theorists of opposing positions often treat political theory less as an exploration of politics than as a series of devices for its displacement. She characterizes Kant, Rawls, and Sandel as virtue theorists of politics, arguing that they rely on principles of right, rationality, community, and law to protect their political theories from the conflict and uncertainty of political reality. Drawing on Nietzsche and Arendt as well as Machiavelli and Derrida, Honig instead explores an alternative politics of virtú, which treats the disruptions of political order as valued sites of democratic freedom and individuality project_muse_102767-3354464 1 10.1515_9781501768453 2 Contents 8 Preface to the 30th Anniversary Edition 10 Acknowledgments 22 Abbreviations 26 CHAPTER ONE Negotiating Positions: The Politics of Virtue and Virtù 30 CHAPTER TWO Kant and the Concept of Respect for Persons 47 CHAPTER THREE Nietzsche and the Recovery of Responsibility 71 CHAPTER FOUR Arendt’s Accounts of Action and Authority 105 CHAPTER FIVE Rawls and the Remainders of Politics 155 CHAPTER SIX Sandel and the Proliferation of Political Subjects 191 CHAPTER SEVEN Renegotiating Positions: Beyond the Virtue-Virtù Opposition 229 Notes 242 Index 294 "This book, now in a 30th anniversary edition, has been called a founding text of agonism, which treats political contestation not as a regrettably necessary way to correct political imperfections but as a necessary, sometimes joyful feature of democratic life. By rethinking the established relation between politics and political theory, Honig argues that political theorists of opposing positions often treat political theory less as an exploration of politics than as a series of devices for its displacement"-- Provided by publisher